"Whew~ We're finally almost there. Up ahead should be the mission site, right?"
Bryan took a deep breath, gazing at the lush forest ahead, which contrasted sharply with the barren ground behind him.
"This game is too realistic for its own good. I have to walk every single step myself. I'm starting to miss those low-effort browser games with auto-pathing."
"Then go play one of those games! You're so picky. Realistic games aren't good enough for you?"
"Ugh, I'm just venting. Besides, I'm actually praising how real this game feels!"
Vrix couldn't be bothered to argue with Bryan anymore. He noticed that Ryan, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped and turned to look at a stone behind them with a slightly exasperated tone.
"Alright, come out. Scyther has already picked up your scent."
"…"
"Not coming out? I'll have Scyther come over and catch you."
As soon as he said that, a purple-red shadow darted out from behind the stone and quickly lunged at Ryan.
"Bounsweet~"
Ryan caught it in his arms and patted the sepal on its head.
"I told you to wait at home. Why did you sneak after me? Aren't you afraid of getting snatched by a Fearow?"
"Bounsweet~ (Not scared at all~)"
"You're a handful. Let's wipe off your sweat—your sweet scent is way too strong right now."
Ryan affectionately wiped Bounsweet's sweat. He had no idea why it liked him so much. His memories didn't recall any prior interactions with it. Could he have forgotten?
While Ryan was searching his memory, a burning gaze was locked onto Bounsweet in his arms.
"Uh… Lord Ryan, could I hold that Pokémon for a moment?"
"Hmm?" Ryan was a bit surprised as he looked at the female player named Stella standing before him.
From the start, Ryan had noticed her. While the other players were busy marveling at everything with non-stop chatter, Stella had maintained a cool expression, showing no signs of emotion despite being obviously shocked. Ryan had started wondering if she was just very stoic.
But now, her eyes were lit with such intensity that Ryan felt a little uneasy.
"Alright, I'll let you hold it for a bit."
Not wanting to discourage the players' enthusiasm for Pokémon, especially since Bounsweet didn't resist, Ryan handed it over to Stella.
Stella's hands trembled slightly as she received Bounsweet. Although she kept her cold expression, her heart was in turmoil.
"Ahhh! It's so cute! How can there be such an adorable creature? It's a pity it's not fluffy, but it's still sooo cute! My life is complete. Sob, sob~"
Ryan, unaware of the emotional storm going on inside her, was content to see Stella interacting well with Bounsweet. Satisfied, he led the players into Firefly Forest.
As soon as they entered, they saw several Pokémon fleeing in all directions. Some, who didn't have time to escape, stayed put, trembling as they tried to hide.
"Why are they running away the moment they see us? I couldn't even get a clear look before they were gone."
Ryan sighed at the sight. It seemed the relationship between Pokémon and humans had truly deteriorated to an extreme degree.
"Alright, forget about the Pokémon for now. You'll have plenty of chances to interact with them later. For now, grab the tools from the cart and start chopping some wood."
"Got it!" The players quickly grabbed their tools, eager to get to work.
"By the way, before you start chopping, make sure there aren't any Pokémon on or around the trees. Don't accidentally hurt them."
"Understood!"
Seeing the players full of enthusiasm, Ryan nodded in satisfaction. Even Scyther, standing nearby, seemed eager to chop some wood as well.
"Oh, I forgot about you. Go ahead."
Scyther, known for sharpening its forearms by cutting down trees, excitedly approached a tree. With a swift cross slash of its arms, a tree fell with a "whoosh."
The players, still struggling with their trees, were shocked by what they saw.
"Did it just chop down a tree with one hit? That's insane!"
"Who needs us when it can handle the job by itself?"
"Hurry up! If we don't cut these trees fast, it's going to finish them all, and we'll get fewer rewards!"
The players hurriedly picked up their pace.
Thankfully, after Scyther chopped down a dozen or so trees, Ryan called it off, allowing the players to breathe a sigh of relief.
"This game is so interesting. You even have to compete with NPCs for missions."
"That's because this NPC has its own AI. It doesn't follow pre-set instructions. I wonder if this is unique to the protagonist, or if every NPC has AI."
"No way, that would be too expensive. I bet it's just the main characters who have it."
"I don't know, though. I've watched the townspeople, and they never repeat their actions or dialogue. They even respond to what we do."
Vrix recalled the fearful expressions of the townspeople in the city. It had felt so real, just like interacting with real people.
"Yeah, but this is a VR game. If they can create this kind of technology, giving NPCs AI shouldn't be that hard."
"True, but wait a minute! The grass over there is moving!"
Bryan quickly turned his head, trying to spot what was moving in the grass. After looking closely, he realized, "Wait, the grass itself is moving!"
A blue creature with a grassy top was running away in a panic, only to crash into a tree and fall onto its back.
"Is this a Pokémon too? It looks like a potted plant. Why would it run into a tree?" Bryan asked, puzzled.
"It got scared by you! Go ask Lord Ryan what to do with it."
Meanwhile, other players also noticed some Pokémon hiding nearby.
"Whoa, this caterpillar is huge! And this bug has a horn on its head!"
"Oh man, this walking sprout just ran away on its own! And what's with this bug that has mushrooms growing on it?!"
As the Pokémon realized they'd been spotted, they began to flee, causing chaos among both the players and the Pokémon.
"Scyther, use Double Team! Block them!"
Scyther moved swiftly, creating several copies of itself, which surrounded the Pokémon, stopping them from running any further.
"Bounsweet, release your scent."
"Bounsweet!" Bounsweet spun its sepal and flew into the air, releasing a calming fragrance into the surroundings.
The scent helped soothe the panicked Pokémon, who gradually began to calm down.
Ryan then took out two bags of Pokémon food and handed them to the players.
"You've all been eager to interact with Pokémon, right? Here's your chance."
"Now that their emotions are stable, you can offer them this food and try to connect with them."
The players were overjoyed, excitedly taking the food and slowly approaching the Pokémon.
The Pokémon, sensing no malice from the humans, began sniffing the delicious food in their hands.
"Hey, want to try some?" Vrix held the food in one hand, crouching down in front of the blue potted Pokémon, slowly extending his hand.
Oddish hesitated for a moment, glancing up at the smiling human before finally giving in to temptation and munching on the food.
The other Pokémon followed suit, eating the food offered by the players.
"It tickles a bit~"
"Wow, they eat so fast! Is the food really that good? I want to try some myself."
"Shadow, don't be gross. You remember the time you tried to taste dog food and your dog chased you all around the house, right?"
"Dude! Stop bringing up everything I've ever done!"
"Hahahahaha~"
Watching the players laughing and the Pokémon happily munching on food, Ryan felt that this scene was incredibly harmonious.
This was the future he had always dreamed of.